Stephen Hopkins | Influences, Methods, and Advice for Art Students
Influences
I can't really separate'" favorite artists" from ones who have influenced me. Here are a few names of
people and groups who have been important in my life as an artist:
Jay Connaway - My first and probably best art teacher. Ran his own art school in Vermont. We painted
outdoors every day. I learned a lot about seeing, as well as how tough it is to survive as an artist without
compromising your basic principles,
Art Students League of New York - All about just doing art and studying what you need to know. No
grades or other bureaucratic stuff to get in the way.
Harvard College - Learned that I didn’t want to become a doctor after getting a "D" in chemistry. Also
learned that education is about asking questions. Great university, but few resources for studio artists
(at least in the 1950s).
Edward Hopper - City subjects and big shapes quality of light.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Quality of light, especially early work.
John Constable - Exact feel of nature, yet retained painterliness.
Nicholas Poussin - Sense of order and construction.
Canaletto – Detailed, but reflects dynamic daily urban life.
Richard Estes - Photo-based realism that goes beyond photo source
Charles Meryon - 19th century Paris in black and white.
Antonio Lopez - Large scale cityscapes from nature.
Cubism - The 4th dimension basic ideas, especially Braque, Picasso, and Delaunay.
Stuart Davis/ Charles Demuth/ Charles Sheeler - Applying Cubist ideas to American landscape.
Bay Area Figurative School - Especially working methods
Methods
Basic procedure for larger paintings (such as European Imports):
First stage is seeing a potential subject. Much of the time I just happen to see something of potential
interest, often when I am not expecting it or looking for it. I see a certain group of elements (in this case
signs from a former gas station turned used car lot, billboards, a piece of the freeway, tree, a bit of sky,
etc.) all bathed in a light that existed only at that time and under the exact weather conditions of that
Art Talk | Santa Rosa Junior College | 2013
time). There is something there, something in the combination of elements that makes me think "There
is a painting here." My job as an artist is to find out what it was that interested me in the first place and
how to make a painting from it. Usually step #1 is taking many photographs, followed by making a quick
composition sketch with pen in my sketchbook and occasionally after that, an oil or watercolor sketch to
give me a "feel" for the subject (although this is often hard to do with urban subjects). The next step is
to take the photos and see what kind of useful information is there. Today this is done on the
computer. Before, I worked with small prints or contact sheets. The photos are usually a
disappointment in that they do not have the feel of the reality I experienced, but they do contain lots of
visual information that can be used in making the painting. At this stage. I spend a lot of time figuring
out the composition, deciding as exactly as possible the proportions of the painting. The stretcher for
the painting itself is then made using the same proportions.
The rest of the process in making the painting is done in the studio. Most of my paintings (including this
one) are in oil on Belgian linen fine weave, mounted on wooden stretchers with a ground of about 4
coats of acrylic gesso, with the final two coats toned to form a reddish neutral ground. I use a grid
pattern, an old-fashioned but very useful method, to transfer the small composition sketch, base photo,
or photos to the canvas. After this, the process varies. Sometimes I begin painting loosely to give me a
feel for the whole, or sometimes tighter with smaller squares on the grid pattern. I usually start the first
layer of painting using a four-color earth tone palette, which enables me to concentrate on large shapes
and values and to cover the canvas before bringing in the full range of colors and details in later layers.
As for music in the studio while I'm working?? I have found that what I want varies depending on my
mood and what I'm working on. Sometimes I listen to the music on iTunes mostly (old-time country),
sometimes political talk shows on the radio, and sometimes silence is golden.
Advice to Art Students:
In our culture, everyone gives lip service to "Art" and thinks that somehow it's "a good idea" and makes
you more "well-rounded," etc. It's OK so long as you don't take it too seriously. If you do take it
seriously, and it becomes the most important thing in your life, then you may have to be prepared for a
fight. Most people won't understand what you are trying to do and will either think you are a" flake "or
some kind of mysterious "talent" who somehow understands all that art stuff. In another way the "socalled art world" (Edward Hopper's term) of museums, art galleries and school art departments where
they are supposed to understand art are often worse, and can easily get you pulled off course though
emphasis on fashion, career, money and reputation, artificial academic interpretations, etc. Also, it’s a
good idea not to think in terms of making a lot of money from your art. Probably you won't but possibly
you might.
Having said all this negative stuff I wouldn't trade being an artist for anything else. There is no bigger
high than experiencing a piece of art that really moves you, or seeing the world through the eyes of an
artist or even better, making a piece of artwork that really works and you can actually feel good about. I
would develop the ability to be objectively self-critical, and listen to all comments of others, informed or
uninformed, favorable and unfavorable, because you might learn something. Take charge of your own
art education in order to learn what you need to learn to help you reach your goals. Most important is
to remember that you have two choices: To do it or not to do it.
Art Talk | Santa Rosa Junior College | 2013